Note from Nora: I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with seniors for two years at Avalon school and helped develop the program we use to help each individual student during their senior year. Please feel free to contact me at norawhalen@avalonschool.org for more details about our program. We're always looking for community experts so come and join us for the fun!!! Also, I will try to update this link from time to time so please stop by on occasion to check out improvements. Or better yet, add your own improvements!!!
Background behind the Senior Project:
At Avalon, we require each of our seniors to propose, design and present an independent project throughout the year. Each is expected to spend at least 250 hours during the school year on one, often interdisciplinary project that speaks to an individualized passion. A student must work with a committee to propose, complete, and evaluate his/her product and process. The following are the titles of projects the class of 2005 completed:
CHRISTOPHER,Do It Yourself Activism RACHEL, Business Internship NICK,Literature in Education OLIVIA,Vanishing Vistas: The History, Ecology and Restoration of Minnesota's Northern Tallgrass Prairie ONOMA,Staging the Drama: Using the arts to explore self-esteem, aggression, and bullying in middle school girls CAITLYN,Student Revolution: Shaping and Building Charter School Communities ELENA,Starting a Bookstore NATHAN,Children of the Machine: the Creation of a Science-Fiction Novel ARWEN,Gender Studies ANNA,Uniting Sexual Factions JESSE,The Past, Present, and Future of Advertising KATHERINE,Autism in the Classroom; There is Nothing Inherently Lacking in the Autistic Student, it is the Classroom that Falls Behind MICHAEL,The Interesting, but Inaccurate Practice of Graphology MICHAEL,Trials & Tribulations: Teaching a Mock Trial Seminar at Avalon School KARA,The AAA, GMOs, and CSAs: Rethinking Agriculture KYLER,Architecture, an In-depth Study SADIE, Culture of the Mediterranean JUSTIN,Music Industry: Past, Present, and Future MARTY,Talk Radio: A Nation of conversations! ANDREI,Children’s Ministry WIL,Doing It Yourself: Vinyl, Punk Rock, and Community CHRIS,Music Creation and Recording JENNA,Book Arts MEGAN,Peaceful revolution by means of the ballot MORGAN,The Development of the Alphabet MATT,Physical Geology: A basic introduction for a complex science JOSEPH,Entrepreneurs: Finding that niche in the market of ideas ALEX,The Evolution of Education RHIANNON,Celtic Music: Politics and Cultural Expression ANNA,German Crash Course: How do teachers feel? ALEX,The Glass Menagerie: My Experience with an American Standard
Outline for a Senior while starting the proposal process:
(Note to educators and parents: remember that at Avalon, by they time that a student hits senior year, he or she has done several independent projects. This one is just much longer and more in-depth, a culmination of his/her experience at Avalon.
Title: (the more catchy, the better)
Student:
Advisor:
Objective:
(This should be at least one paragraph and clearly define what you plan to learn.)
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
(Why will you spend hundreds of hours on this topic? – consider its significance to the community.)
Committee Members:
(Should have at least five members: one-two parents, two advisors, a junior in your advisory, and a community expert who may serve as your mentor during the process.)
You may wonder how you are going to find a community member to sit on your committee. There are several ways to go about this. First, go out and find someone in the field. Many businesses and organizations have a commitment to community outreach and most people are honored to be considered “experts.” Let them know that you need no more than 10 hours throughout the whole year, including about three hours in May. Many people will be willing to give more hours or make a lot of contacts through e-mails and on the phone. The staff will also be hosting a senior evening to introduce you to interested community members. Last year, many seniors found their community expert at that meeting. Remember, you are representing Avalon and by creating connections to the community, you are extending our mission statement. Placing importance in this step is important.
What experts and resources I will use:
(This is what will take a considerable amount of time. The earlier you focus on a bibliography, the more sources you’ll have available to you. Consider dividing up the space in different sources such as books, print publications, web publications, websites, and people) What questions I will answer:
(Again, this should take a considerable amount of time. Creating a web may help you come up with questions.)
Steps to the Project:
(Obviously, this may change, but the more detailed you are, the more likely your proposal will be approved. The steps should include your vision for the final products. Remember you can have several pieces to the final product. It is also extremely important that you have dates with the steps. These are not set in stone but will help you reach your goal AND will help your committee assist you in getting there. An example of a step may be meeting with your committee and updating them on your progress. Look at the calendar as you pick your due dates!)
Steps and Due dates:
1:
2:
3:
4:
5….(will have many more steps):
What graduation standards I plan to address:
(Explain how the standards fit with your project.)
As you work on your proposal, meet with your advisor for assistance. When your proposal is complete, you must organize a meeting with all individuals on your committee. This meeting will take between 45-60 minutes and may serve as a part of your fall conference. The proposal must be done by October 5, 2007. The committee meeting must take place by October 17th, but it may occur as soon as you are done with your proposal and have assembled your committee.
The following are two real examples of proposals from Avalon Students.
Senior Project Proposal Title: Peace in the 21st Century: An Inquiry into Nonviolence.
Student: Caitlin Vaughan ‘06
Advisor: Kevin Ward
Objective:
In this project, I plan to look closely at the theory and practice of nonviolence throughout the 20th century and its relevance today. I hope to look at the successes and failures of nonviolence and passive resistance. I will do significant research by reading primary and secondary sources, conducting interviews with a wide array of people with different opinions, and through participating in nonviolent campaign(s). My research will go in three directions: the first being the history of non-violence in the 20th century with a focus on three or four campaigns, the second being current events having to do with non-violence, and the third being interviews with people who have differing views on the subject.
As a part of this project, I would like to create a peace studies curriculum to be taught during the Friday session of Erin Teksten’s Spanish I/II during block two. I will examine other peace and conflict resolution curricula and create a curriculum with a focus on high school students and the option of nonviolence, with a focus on Latin America. In the curriculum, I hope to explore the history of nonviolence as well as examining issues that are happening today and considering options for nonviolence and peaceful protest as well as the possible necessity of violence.
In addition to the curriculum, I will also create a zine that explores different dimensions of nonviolence. I hope to present a variety of case studies, opinions, and resources in the zine.
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
In the last few months, it has become evident to me that we live in a society governed by war. I am convinced that war is an old-school tactic that no longer works in our interconnected world. Therefore, I would like to look at nonviolence and possibilities for peace in the 21st century. This will also entail looking at violence and considering its necessity in our culture.
For me, the study of peace is crucial for the practice of peace. I hope that in creating and teaching a peace studies curriculum, I will be able to motivate others to look critically at world events and to consider nonviolence as an option.
Committee Members:
1) Susan Mallison, mother
2) David Vaughan, father
3) Kevin Ward, Avalon language arts advisor
4) Erin Teksten, Avalon Spanish advisor
5) Larry Olds, representative for the Non-Violent Peaceforce and for The Resource Center of the Americas.
6) Don Christensen, representative for the Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation.
7) Brianna Parry, junior advisor
What experts and resources I will use:
Resources:
1) Larry Olds, Minneapolis representative for the Non-Violent Peace Force and The
Resource Center of the Americas, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2) Kate and Bridget McDonald, renowned peace activists in the Twin Cities.
4) Dr. Walter Enloe, professor at Hamline University, involved in nuclear disarmament
5) Marv Davidov, renowned peace activist and former Freedom rider.
6) Cheryl Thomas, human rights lawyer for the MN Advocates for Human Rights.
7) Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, peace activist involved with the International Solidarity movement.
9) Don Christinson, representative for the Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation
10) Jack Nelson, Pallmayer professor of peace studies at University of St. Thomas.
11) Cecil Ramnaraine, author of extensive middle and high school peace studies
curriculum.
12) Colleen Bell, professor of peace studies at Hamline University
13) Mary Lou Ott, assistant director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce
Organizations:
1) The Non-Violent Peaceforce, Minneapolis (www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org)
2) Friends for a Non-Violent World, St. Paul (www.fnvw.org)
3)Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Washington DC (www.wagingpeace.org)
3) American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia (www.afsc.org)
4)Justice and Peace Studies department, University of St. Thomas
5)Amnesty International
6) Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation (North Country Peace Builder), Minneapolis
(www.osb.org)
7)University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (www.lib.umn.edu)
8) Resource Center for the Americas, Minneapolis
9) Center for War/Peace Studies, New York
10) The Center for Human Rights Education, Atlanta Georgia. (www.chre.org)
11)The Human Rights Resource Center, The Univeristy of Minnesota Law School.
Publications:
1) Yes! Magazine (www.yesmagazine.org)
2) The Nation (www.thenation.com)
3) Mother Jones (www.motherjones.org)
4)Peace Magazine (www.peacemagazine.org)
5) The International Journal of Peace Studies (www.gmu.edu/academic/ijps)
6)The New Internationalist Magazine.
Curriculum Resources:
1) “Workable Peace: Curriculum Materials and Resources for Conflict Resolution”
PBS (www.pbs.org/wgbh/global connections/mideast/communities/wpeace)
2) Peace and Global Studies curriculum, Earlham College, Richmond Indiana. (www.
earlham.edu/pags)
3) The Class of Nonviolence by Colman McCarthy. (www.salsa.net/peace)
4) Peace and Leadership studies curriculum. Institute of War and Peace Studies:
Center for the Study of Human Rights. Columbia University, New York. (www.columbia.edu/sipa)
5) The Plowshares Project: Peace Curriculum and Community Building. Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester Colleges. (www.plowsharesproject.org)
6) The Human Rights Education Handbook: Effective practices for Learning, Action,
and Change by Nancy Flowers.
7) Peace and Non-Violence Curriculum by Cecil Ramnaraine.
Books:
1)Ackerman, Peter and Jack Duvall. A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
2) Bickmore, Kathy. Alternatives to Violence: A Manual for Teaching Peacemaking toYouth and Adults. Akron, Ohio: Peace Grows Inc., 1992. 3) Extending Peaceful Relationships. The New Zealand Foundation for Peace Studies. 1986.
4) Flowers, Nancy, ed. Human Rights Here and Now: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Human Rights USA Resource Center, 1998.
5)Gandhi, Mahatma. Life, Writings, and Speeches. Madras: Ganesh & Co., 1921.
6) ---Ahisma: The Way of Nonviolence. New York: Paulist Press, 1987.
7) The Handbook for Nonviolent Action. New York: The War Resisters League, 1999.
8) King, Martin Luther. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. 16 April 1963.
9) Lewis, John. The Case Against Pacifism. New York: Garland Publishing, 1973.
10) Max, Steve. The Potential for Non-Violence in South Africa. . Dissertation. University of San Jose, 1992.
11) Nagler, Michael. Is There No Other Way? The Search for a Nonviolent Future. Berkely, California: Berkeley Hills Books, 2001.
12) Pallmayer, Jack Nelson. School of the Assassins:The Case for Closing The School of the Americas and for Fundamentally Changing U.S Foreign Policy. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1997. 13)A Peace Reader. Joseph Fahey and Richard Armstrong, ed. New York: Paulist Press, 1987.
14) Ramnaraine, Cecil. Peace and Non-violence Curriculum. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MN Veterans for Peace, 1995.
15) Sharp, Gene. Non-Violent Action: An Introductory Outline for Study Groups. London: Friends Peace Committee, 1963.
16) Tolstoy, Leo. What Then Must We Do?. London: Oxford University Press, 1925.
17) Zinn, Howard, ed. The Power of Non-violence. Boston: Beacon Press, 2002.
Questions I will explore:
1) What is the theory of non-violence and what is the practice of non-violence? How can the theory and practice of non-violence apply to the 21st century world?
2) How has the practice of non-violence been instrumental in social causes throughout history?
3) Why has the practice of non-violence been effective (and ineffective) throughout history? In what cases can it be effective today?
4) What is the connection between human rights and non-violence? Is violence a human rights offence?
5) Is world peace attainable?
6) Is war a necessary action in the 21st century?
7) How can I create a curriculum that incorporates what I know about the practice and history of non-violence?
8) How can I empower students to care about human rights and to formulate opinions about non-violence and peaceful protest as effective strategies?
9) How can I work to look at both sides of an issue while I have already have an opinion about that issue? How can I be objective in my interviews?
10) How can I create a meaningful, interesting and useful pamphlet of resources on these topics—what are the most important things to convey in this pamphlet?
11) How can I take what I’ve learned and apply it to the world in which I live? What kind of direct action can I be a part of?
12) How can I engage others in this discussion of the option of non-violence?
Steps/ Timeline:
A) Initial Tasks
1) Propose project
2) Read primary and secondary sources. I will keep an annotated bibliography of what I read. (September 26 - December 1)
3) Formulate interview questions, ask for feedback and revise them.
a) First draft: October 19
b) Second draft: October 26
4) Conduct interviews with as many experts as possible (listed above). October 26 – February 3
B) Peace Curriculum and Teach-Ins
1) Research curricula that are already written. (October 5- October 28)
2) Decide on the focus of my curriculum and write an outline, along with a timeline for how long it will take me to accomplish each section. I will submit it for editing and revision. (November 4)
3) I will write and compile the series of lessons based upon the different sections on my outline. November 4 Deadlines for individual sections:
SOA teach-in: December 2
Examining violence lesson: December 14
Examining Non-violence lesson: January 3
Non-violence in history lesson: January 17
Non-violence in present times lesson: January 23
4) Final draft of the curriculum: February 1, 2006
5) Teach the curriculum at Avalon on Fridays: February 3- March 10
6) Make class evaluation, distribute the evaluation and compile results: March 13
C) Journal of Peaceful Perspectives
1) Read magazines/journals about peace and social justice (ongoing)
2) Create outline/layout for the journal based on research, include more specific
deadlines. January 10
3) Gather information that I’d like to present in the magazine, write articles based upon what I lay out in my outline, ask others to write pieces for the journal (this could be a part of the peace studies class). More detailed deadlines will be presented with the outline. January 17-February 28
5) Second Rough Draft (with layout): April 10, 2006
6) Final draft: April 14, 2006
7) Print and bind the journal: April 21, 2006
D) Presentation
1) Create an outline for the presentation April 17
2) Committee meeting to give approval to present by April 21
3) Create PowerPoint April 20
4) Practice presentation and make revisions :April 20-April 26
5) Presentation night: April 27
E) Finalization
1) Compile my work (curriculum and student reflections, the journal, presentation, and bibliography to account for my research) April 28
2) Write reflection and revise May 1
3) Finalize project by May 5
Graduation standards I will address in this project:
--Issues Analysis --Institutions and Traditions in Society.
Signatures:
_ Caitlin Vaughan Kevin Ward Erin Teksten
_ _ Larry Olds Don Christensen Brianna Parry
_
Susan Mallison David Vaughan
Any changes made to the proposal must be approved by all committee members. This may be done via email but must be documented on the advisor’s proposal.
(NOTICE TO STUDENTS:
Do you see that this is example is over four pages, single-spaced? There is a lot you need to write in this proposal. The more specific you can be, the more guidance you will have in creating your project.)
Senior Project Proposal
Title: Powerful Women: Female Leadership in Today’s World
Student: Irene Boysen
Advisor: Kevin Ward
Objective:
In this project, I would like to fine-tune my leadership and interpersonal skills both through hands-on involvement in student organizations and through researching strong female leaders in history. I will spend a significant amount of time working with my fellow peer mediators conducting mediations and building community within the group. I will attempt to make the circles at Avalon more productive and more highly regarded.
Through researching strong women, I hope to gain insight to use in my own life. I hope to identify which ways women are more effective leaders than men, and why, despite these advantages, there are not more women leaders. Not only will this research expose me to various styles of leadership, it will also broaden my own skills and help me to develop my fortes as a women leader. I will choose ten women to interview about their experiences as leaders. After combining this information from the interviews with my own research, I will write a brief evaluation of each of the women’s leadership skills.
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
I have chosen this topic for significant study because I believe that this project will help me greatly in the future. I feel that I have many natural qualities that allow me to effectively lead, but that they could use some specialization and practice. The leadership skills that I will learn in doing this project will help me through the rest of high school, college, my career, and probably my personal life as well. Also, doing this project will allow me to devote more time to Avalon and the Avalon community that I would be able to otherwise.
Committee Members:
§ Rose Marie Felsheim, Irene’s Mother
§ Clyde Boysen, Irene’s Father
§ Kevin Ward, Irene’s Advisor
§ Andrea Martin, Community Leader
§ Hannah Grey, Avalon Junior
§ Liz Johnson, Community Expert, Minnesota Vote, Run, Lead
What experts and resources I will use:
People:
RaeAnn Ruth-Founder of Portage for Youth girls after school program
Elizabeth Dickinson-Green Party Mayoral candidate and environmental activist
Michelle M. Bachmann-State senator of district 52, running for congress
Michelle Fischbach-State senator of district 14
Books: Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani The Female Experience: An American Documentary by Gerda Lerner Women Leading by Sue Hayward Leading Coherently: Reflections from Leaders Around the World by Nancy Stanford-Blair The Female Advantage by Sally Helgesen Closing the Leadership Gap by Marie Wilson
Websites:
www.womenworldleaders.org
Other:
“Mindful and Masculine: Freeing Women Leaders from the Constraints of Gender Roles” Journal of Social Issues, Spring 2000
“Women Effective Leaders for Today’s World” Press Release, Northwestern University, August 4, 2003
“Closing the Leadership Gap,” Ms. News, Summer 2004
What questions I will answer:
In what ways are women better leaders than men?
If women are better leaders, then why aren’t there more of them in power today?
How does the journey of a leader vary? How does the path to leadership affect leadership styles?
Time Line:
Proposal
Decide on women to research 11/29/05
Show Kevin journal entries 12/15/05
Goal update w/ Kevin 1/3/06
Done with notes on women 1/10/05
Formal committee update 1/17/06
Draft of paper about women 2/9/06
Edit paper about women 3/7/06
Show Kevin journal entries 3/13/06
Final draft of paper about women 3/15/06
Evaluation of me as a leader by group members 3/16/05-3/24/05
Begin working on presentation 3/16/06
Formal committee check-in about presentation 4/10/06
Present 4/27/06
Reflection 5/2/06
Edit reflection 5/4/06
Finalize 5/5/06
RESOURCES WHEN CREATING YOUR OWN SENIOR PROJECT PROGRAM!
Some great EdVisions schools are worlds ahead of Avalon in sharing the final work of their students. Check out these websites for examples of senior project presentations.
http://aaroneochs.blogspot.com/
Aaron Grimm is an advisor at EdVisions Off Campus High School. On June 17th he posted five of their seniors' presentations. Check it out!
http://www.newcountryschool.com/
Minnesota New Country School has information about their senior project under "About Us" and "Project Learning." Cool stuff from the "Coolest School." (check out resources)...
Research to support the Senior Project: Check out the Indicators of a Successful Senior Project!
The following article was published at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University Teachers College. As part of my masters work I researched the elements that make an effective senior project. While the work was geared towards independent schools, obviously, it addresses the needs of all students. Please feel free to email me at norawhalen@gmail.com if you have comments or questions specifically about the research.
Ending with an Exclamation Point: Perceptions of an Effective Senior Year Capstone Project, A Case Study of DwightEnglewood’s Senior Focus Project
Problem
According to the National Commission on the High School Senior Year (2001), Senioritis is a short-term affliction that incapacitates seniors in terms of their academic growth. While scholarly literature supports the need to dramatically modify the senior year, much of it focuses on the needs of poor-performing schools by suggesting more rigorous programs such as Advanced Placement courses or attendance at neighboring universities. An indiscriminate ailment, senioritis also exists for high-performing, college bound students, a demographic typical of independent schools.
Purpose
The rationale for conducting a case study was to discover and describe curriculum structures that foster and support student academic success in the senior year, helping seniors end with an exclamation point. We looked to the 2003 NAIS Leading Edge Award-Winning Senior Focus Program at the Dwight Englewood School to assess whether theory informs practice. Using a triangulation of methods (literature review, case study archives, and observations and surveys), we assessed the extent to which the nine indicators of a successful senior capstone project were informing practice. We found that these nine indicators: community involvement, mission-centered project, student-initiated topic, research driven and academically rigorous, in-depth planning, interdisciplinary proficiency, guided self-reflection, student input on assessment, and a public presentation or exposition were all present in Dwight Englewood’s Senior Focus Program. Findings - Indicators of Success
The following table lays out the number of times our indicators of success appeared in our literature review, the Focus Notebook archives and our observations, interviews, and surveys. (Please note that the table did not translate to the wiki. I edited it to just include the indicators. Contact me for the results of the literature review.)
Community Involvement -- student works with an expert outside of the school
Mission-Centered -- fits what the school is all about
Student-Centered -- the student's interests drives the topic. It is not picked by the teacher(s).
Research-Driven/Academic Rigor
In-Depth Planning -- includes year-long benchmarks and goals
Interdisciplinary
Guided Self-Reflection
Student input on Assessment
Public Presentation and Celebration of student's learning
A school must take our indicators of success as ingredients that need to be organically integrated into a system. Rather than be imposed from above as a total package, these ingredients need to percolate up. No school will find success by simply implementing the Dwight Englewood program as it is in totality. Dwight Englewood has experienced success largely because the program grew out of their existing school culture. Their current program notebook, developed over 10 years, has always been thought of as a work in progress. Each year students provide the program’s director with summative feedback that helps inform the future of the program. Ultimately any school looking to affect change must first acknowledge the particularities of their own school culture before attempting such a dramatic change.
This dramatic change, especially when dealing with such a powerful issue as senioritis, has deep implications. According to Edgar Schein, an expert in the field of school change, Traditional patterns of doing things have become so ingrained that they seem to have a momentum of their own. If the institution has enjoyed a history of success with its assumptions about itself and its environment, people will not want to question or reexamine them, ‘because they justify the past and are the source of their pride and self-esteem’ (in Evans, 1996, p. 46).
In many institutions, senioritis is not considered an affliction or disease but embraced as a right of passage to the next stage in life. While seniors should be acknowledged as they transition into adulthood, an educational institution has a duty to educate them until graduation day. Teachers bemoan the too cool for school attitude of their seniors and wish for something different, but they understand the deep implications for making any significant change. Moreover, for many faculty members senioritis is an affliction they too have experienced on both sides of the desk. Accordingly, faculty may bring somewhat modified expectations into their work with these students. Finally, many schools simply avoid the opportunity for a culminating experience because they are resistant to change. Future Research
An implication for future research is to answer the question of how schools can develop and nurture cultures where academic risk-taking is celebrated and individual reflection is valued. Whether a school begins in kindergarten, seventh grade, or ninth grade the efforts to acculturate risk-taking and reflection need to begin when students enter the school. Beginning with the end and backwards planning to create a culture and a curriculum across disciplines that supports grade-appropriate fluency in skills is the next logical step in this process for any school. While our work boasts few systemic ready-made answers, it does identify common best practices that have worked when applied to individual programs by artful educators.
Note from Nora: I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with seniors for two years at Avalon school and helped develop the program we use to help each individual student during their senior year. Please feel free to contact me at norawhalen@avalonschool.org for more details about our program. We're always looking for community experts so come and join us for the fun!!! Also, I will try to update this link from time to time so please stop by on occasion to check out improvements. Or better yet, add your own improvements!!!
Background behind the Senior Project:
At Avalon, we require each of our seniors to propose, design and present an independent project throughout the year. Each is expected to spend at least 250 hours during the school year on one, often interdisciplinary project that speaks to an individualized passion. A student must work with a committee to propose, complete, and evaluate his/her product and process. The following are the titles of projects the class of 2005 completed:CHRISTOPHER, Do It Yourself Activism
RACHEL, Business Internship
NICK, Literature in Education
OLIVIA, Vanishing Vistas: The History, Ecology and Restoration of Minnesota's Northern Tallgrass Prairie
ONOMA, Staging the Drama: Using the arts to explore self-esteem, aggression, and bullying in middle school girls
CAITLYN, Student Revolution: Shaping and Building Charter School Communities
ELENA, Starting a Bookstore
NATHAN, Children of the Machine: the Creation of a Science-Fiction Novel
ARWEN, Gender Studies
ANNA, Uniting Sexual Factions
JESSE, The Past, Present, and Future of Advertising
KATHERINE, Autism in the Classroom; There is Nothing Inherently Lacking in the Autistic Student, it is the Classroom that Falls Behind
MICHAEL, The Interesting, but Inaccurate Practice of Graphology
MICHAEL, Trials & Tribulations: Teaching a Mock Trial Seminar at Avalon School
KARA, The AAA, GMOs, and CSAs: Rethinking Agriculture
KYLER, Architecture, an In-depth Study
SADIE, Culture of the Mediterranean
JUSTIN, Music Industry: Past, Present, and Future
MARTY, Talk Radio: A Nation of conversations!
ANDREI, Children’s Ministry
WIL, Doing It Yourself: Vinyl, Punk Rock, and Community
CHRIS, Music Creation and Recording
JENNA, Book Arts
MEGAN, Peaceful revolution by means of the ballot
MORGAN, The Development of the Alphabet
MATT, Physical Geology: A basic introduction for a complex science
JOSEPH, Entrepreneurs: Finding that niche in the market of ideas
ALEX, The Evolution of Education
RHIANNON,Celtic Music: Politics and Cultural Expression
ANNA, German Crash Course: How do teachers feel?
ALEX, The Glass Menagerie: My Experience with an American Standard
Outline for a Senior while starting the proposal process:
(Note to educators and parents: remember that at Avalon, by they time that a student hits senior year, he or she has done several independent projects. This one is just much longer and more in-depth, a culmination of his/her experience at Avalon.Title: (the more catchy, the better)
Student:Advisor:
Objective:
(This should be at least one paragraph and clearly define what you plan to learn.)
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
(Why will you spend hundreds of hours on this topic? – consider its significance to the community.)
Committee Members:
(Should have at least five members: one-two parents, two advisors, a junior in your advisory, and a community expert who may serve as your mentor during the process.)
- You may wonder how you are going to find a community member to sit on your committee. There are several ways to go about this. First, go out and find someone in the field. Many businesses and organizations have a commitment to community outreach and most people are honored to be considered “experts.” Let them know that you need no more than 10 hours throughout the whole year, including about three hours in May. Many people will be willing to give more hours or make a lot of contacts through e-mails and on the phone. The staff will also be hosting a senior evening to introduce you to interested community members. Last year, many seniors found their community expert at that meeting. Remember, you are representing Avalon and by creating connections to the community, you are extending our mission statement. Placing importance in this step is important.
What experts and resources I will use:(This is what will take a considerable amount of time. The earlier you focus on a bibliography, the more sources you’ll have available to you. Consider dividing up the space in different sources such as books, print publications, web publications, websites, and people)
What questions I will answer:
(Again, this should take a considerable amount of time. Creating a web may help you come up with questions.)
Steps to the Project:
(Obviously, this may change, but the more detailed you are, the more likely your proposal will be approved. The steps should include your vision for the final products. Remember you can have several pieces to the final product. It is also extremely important that you have dates with the steps. These are not set in stone but will help you reach your goal AND will help your committee assist you in getting there. An example of a step may be meeting with your committee and updating them on your progress. Look at the calendar as you pick your due dates!)
Steps and Due dates:
1:
2:
3:
4:
5….(will have many more steps):
What graduation standards I plan to address:
(Explain how the standards fit with your project.)
As you work on your proposal, meet with your advisor for assistance. When your proposal is complete, you must organize a meeting with all individuals on your committee. This meeting will take between 45-60 minutes and may serve as a part of your fall conference. The proposal must be done by October 5, 2007. The committee meeting must take place by October 17th, but it may occur as soon as you are done with your proposal and have assembled your committee.
The following are two real examples of proposals from Avalon Students.
Senior Project Proposal
Title: Peace in the 21st Century: An Inquiry into Nonviolence.
Student: Caitlin Vaughan ‘06
Advisor: Kevin Ward
Objective:
In this project, I plan to look closely at the theory and practice of nonviolence throughout the 20th century and its relevance today. I hope to look at the successes and failures of nonviolence and passive resistance. I will do significant research by reading primary and secondary sources, conducting interviews with a wide array of people with different opinions, and through participating in nonviolent campaign(s). My research will go in three directions: the first being the history of non-violence in the 20th century with a focus on three or four campaigns, the second being current events having to do with non-violence, and the third being interviews with people who have differing views on the subject.
As a part of this project, I would like to create a peace studies curriculum to be taught during the Friday session of Erin Teksten’s Spanish I/II during block two. I will examine other peace and conflict resolution curricula and create a curriculum with a focus on high school students and the option of nonviolence, with a focus on Latin America. In the curriculum, I hope to explore the history of nonviolence as well as examining issues that are happening today and considering options for nonviolence and peaceful protest as well as the possible necessity of violence.
In addition to the curriculum, I will also create a zine that explores different dimensions of nonviolence. I hope to present a variety of case studies, opinions, and resources in the zine.
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
In the last few months, it has become evident to me that we live in a society governed by war. I am convinced that war is an old-school tactic that no longer works in our interconnected world. Therefore, I would like to look at nonviolence and possibilities for peace in the 21st century. This will also entail looking at violence and considering its necessity in our culture.
For me, the study of peace is crucial for the practice of peace. I hope that in creating and teaching a peace studies curriculum, I will be able to motivate others to look critically at world events and to consider nonviolence as an option.
Committee Members:
1) Susan Mallison, mother
2) David Vaughan, father
3) Kevin Ward, Avalon language arts advisor
4) Erin Teksten, Avalon Spanish advisor
5) Larry Olds, representative for the Non-Violent Peaceforce and for The Resource Center of the Americas.
6) Don Christensen, representative for the Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation.
7) Brianna Parry, junior advisor
What experts and resources I will use:
Resources:
1) Larry Olds, Minneapolis representative for the Non-Violent Peace Force and The
Resource Center of the Americas, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2) Kate and Bridget McDonald, renowned peace activists in the Twin Cities.
4) Dr. Walter Enloe, professor at Hamline University, involved in nuclear disarmament
5) Marv Davidov, renowned peace activist and former Freedom rider.
6) Cheryl Thomas, human rights lawyer for the MN Advocates for Human Rights.
7) Dr. Elizabeth Corrie, peace activist involved with the International Solidarity movement.
9) Don Christinson, representative for the Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation
10) Jack Nelson, Pallmayer professor of peace studies at University of St. Thomas.
11) Cecil Ramnaraine, author of extensive middle and high school peace studies
curriculum.
12) Colleen Bell, professor of peace studies at Hamline University
13) Mary Lou Ott, assistant director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce
Organizations:
1) The Non-Violent Peaceforce, Minneapolis (www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org)
2) Friends for a Non-Violent World, St. Paul (www.fnvw.org)
3)Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Washington DC (www.wagingpeace.org)
3) American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia (www.afsc.org)
4)Justice and Peace Studies department, University of St. Thomas
5)Amnesty International
6) Minnesota Fellowship of Reconciliation (North Country Peace Builder), Minneapolis
(www.osb.org)
7)University of Minnesota Human Rights Library (www.lib.umn.edu)
8) Resource Center for the Americas, Minneapolis
9) Center for War/Peace Studies, New York
10) The Center for Human Rights Education, Atlanta Georgia. (www.chre.org)
11)The Human Rights Resource Center, The Univeristy of Minnesota Law School.
Publications:
1) Yes! Magazine (www.yesmagazine.org)
2) The Nation (www.thenation.com)
3) Mother Jones (www.motherjones.org)
4)Peace Magazine (www.peacemagazine.org)
5) The International Journal of Peace Studies (www.gmu.edu/academic/ijps)
6)The New Internationalist Magazine.
Curriculum Resources:
1) “Workable Peace: Curriculum Materials and Resources for Conflict Resolution”
PBS (www.pbs.org/wgbh/global connections/mideast/communities/wpeace)
2) Peace and Global Studies curriculum, Earlham College, Richmond Indiana. (www.
earlham.edu/pags)
3) The Class of Nonviolence by Colman McCarthy. (www.salsa.net/peace)
4) Peace and Leadership studies curriculum. Institute of War and Peace Studies:
Center for the Study of Human Rights. Columbia University, New York. (www.columbia.edu/sipa)
5) The Plowshares Project: Peace Curriculum and Community Building. Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester Colleges. (www.plowsharesproject.org)
6) The Human Rights Education Handbook: Effective practices for Learning, Action,
and Change by Nancy Flowers.
7) Peace and Non-Violence Curriculum by Cecil Ramnaraine.
Books:
1)Ackerman, Peter and Jack Duvall. A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
2) Bickmore, Kathy. Alternatives to Violence: A Manual for Teaching Peacemaking to Youth and Adults. Akron, Ohio: Peace Grows Inc., 1992.
3) Extending Peaceful Relationships. The New Zealand Foundation for Peace Studies. 1986.
4) Flowers, Nancy, ed. Human Rights Here and Now: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Human Rights USA Resource Center, 1998.
5)Gandhi, Mahatma. Life, Writings, and Speeches. Madras: Ganesh & Co., 1921.
6) ---Ahisma: The Way of Nonviolence. New York: Paulist Press, 1987.
7) The Handbook for Nonviolent Action. New York: The War Resisters League, 1999.
8) King, Martin Luther. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. 16 April 1963.
9) Lewis, John. The Case Against Pacifism. New York: Garland Publishing, 1973.
10) Max, Steve. The Potential for Non-Violence in South Africa. . Dissertation. University of San Jose, 1992.
11) Nagler, Michael. Is There No Other Way? The Search for a Nonviolent Future. Berkely, California: Berkeley Hills Books, 2001.
12) Pallmayer, Jack Nelson. School of the Assassins:The Case for Closing The School of the Americas and for Fundamentally Changing U.S Foreign Policy. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1997.
13) A Peace Reader. Joseph Fahey and Richard Armstrong, ed. New York: Paulist Press, 1987.
14) Ramnaraine, Cecil. Peace and Non-violence Curriculum. Minneapolis, Minnesota: MN Veterans for Peace, 1995.
15) Sharp, Gene. Non-Violent Action: An Introductory Outline for Study Groups. London: Friends Peace Committee, 1963.
16) Tolstoy, Leo. What Then Must We Do?. London: Oxford University Press, 1925.
17) Zinn, Howard, ed. The Power of Non-violence. Boston: Beacon Press, 2002.
Questions I will explore:
1) What is the theory of non-violence and what is the practice of non-violence? How can the theory and practice of non-violence apply to the 21st century world?
2) How has the practice of non-violence been instrumental in social causes throughout history?
3) Why has the practice of non-violence been effective (and ineffective) throughout history? In what cases can it be effective today?
4) What is the connection between human rights and non-violence? Is violence a human rights offence?
5) Is world peace attainable?
6) Is war a necessary action in the 21st century?
7) How can I create a curriculum that incorporates what I know about the practice and history of non-violence?
8) How can I empower students to care about human rights and to formulate opinions about non-violence and peaceful protest as effective strategies?
9) How can I work to look at both sides of an issue while I have already have an opinion about that issue? How can I be objective in my interviews?
10) How can I create a meaningful, interesting and useful pamphlet of resources on these topics—what are the most important things to convey in this pamphlet?
11) How can I take what I’ve learned and apply it to the world in which I live? What kind of direct action can I be a part of?
12) How can I engage others in this discussion of the option of non-violence?
Steps/ Timeline:
A) Initial Tasks
1) Propose project
2) Read primary and secondary sources. I will keep an annotated bibliography of what I read. (September 26 - December 1)
3) Formulate interview questions, ask for feedback and revise them.
a) First draft: October 19
b) Second draft: October 26
4) Conduct interviews with as many experts as possible (listed above). October 26 – February 3
B) Peace Curriculum and Teach-Ins
1) Research curricula that are already written. (October 5- October 28)
2) Decide on the focus of my curriculum and write an outline, along with a timeline for how long it will take me to accomplish each section. I will submit it for editing and revision. (November 4)
3) I will write and compile the series of lessons based upon the different sections on my outline. November 4
Deadlines for individual sections:
SOA teach-in: December 2
Examining violence lesson: December 14
Examining Non-violence lesson: January 3
Non-violence in history lesson: January 17
Non-violence in present times lesson: January 23
4) Final draft of the curriculum: February 1, 2006
5) Teach the curriculum at Avalon on Fridays: February 3- March 10
6) Make class evaluation, distribute the evaluation and compile results: March 13
C) Journal of Peaceful Perspectives
1) Read magazines/journals about peace and social justice (ongoing)
2) Create outline/layout for the journal based on research, include more specific
deadlines. January 10
3) Gather information that I’d like to present in the magazine, write articles based upon what I lay out in my outline, ask others to write pieces for the journal (this could be a part of the peace studies class). More detailed deadlines will be presented with the outline. January 17-February 28
5) Second Rough Draft (with layout): April 10, 2006
6) Final draft: April 14, 2006
7) Print and bind the journal: April 21, 2006
D) Presentation
1) Create an outline for the presentation April 17
2) Committee meeting to give approval to present by April 21
3) Create PowerPoint April 20
4) Practice presentation and make revisions :April 20-April 26
5) Presentation night: April 27
E) Finalization
1) Compile my work (curriculum and student reflections, the journal, presentation, and bibliography to account for my research) April 28
2) Write reflection and revise May 1
3) Finalize project by May 5
Graduation standards I will address in this project:
--Issues Analysis
--Institutions and Traditions in Society.
Signatures:
_
Caitlin Vaughan Kevin Ward Erin Teksten
_ _
Larry Olds Don Christensen Brianna Parry
_
Susan Mallison David Vaughan
Any changes made to the proposal must be approved by all committee members. This may be done via email but must be documented on the advisor’s proposal.
(NOTICE TO STUDENTS:
Do you see that this is example is over four pages, single-spaced? There is a lot you need to write in this proposal. The more specific you can be, the more guidance you will have in creating your project.)
Senior Project Proposal
Title: Powerful Women: Female Leadership in Today’s World
Student: Irene Boysen
Advisor: Kevin Ward
Objective:
In this project, I would like to fine-tune my leadership and interpersonal skills both through hands-on involvement in student organizations and through researching strong female leaders in history. I will spend a significant amount of time working with my fellow peer mediators conducting mediations and building community within the group. I will attempt to make the circles at Avalon more productive and more highly regarded.
Through researching strong women, I hope to gain insight to use in my own life. I hope to identify which ways women are more effective leaders than men, and why, despite these advantages, there are not more women leaders. Not only will this research expose me to various styles of leadership, it will also broaden my own skills and help me to develop my fortes as a women leader. I will choose ten women to interview about their experiences as leaders. After combining this information from the interviews with my own research, I will write a brief evaluation of each of the women’s leadership skills.
Why I have chosen this for significant study:
I have chosen this topic for significant study because I believe that this project will help me greatly in the future. I feel that I have many natural qualities that allow me to effectively lead, but that they could use some specialization and practice. The leadership skills that I will learn in doing this project will help me through the rest of high school, college, my career, and probably my personal life as well. Also, doing this project will allow me to devote more time to Avalon and the Avalon community that I would be able to otherwise.
Committee Members:
§ Rose Marie Felsheim, Irene’s Mother
§ Clyde Boysen, Irene’s Father
§ Kevin Ward, Irene’s Advisor
§ Andrea Martin, Community Leader
§ Hannah Grey, Avalon Junior
§ Liz Johnson, Community Expert, Minnesota Vote, Run, Lead
What experts and resources I will use:
People:
RaeAnn Ruth-Founder of Portage for Youth girls after school program
Elizabeth Dickinson-Green Party Mayoral candidate and environmental activist
Michelle M. Bachmann-State senator of district 52, running for congress
Michelle Fischbach-State senator of district 14
Books:
Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani
The Female Experience: An American Documentary by Gerda Lerner
Women Leading by Sue Hayward
Leading Coherently: Reflections from Leaders Around the World by Nancy Stanford-Blair
The Female Advantage by Sally Helgesen
Closing the Leadership Gap by Marie Wilson
Websites:
www.womenworldleaders.org
Other:
“Mindful and Masculine: Freeing Women Leaders from the Constraints of Gender Roles” Journal of Social Issues, Spring 2000
“Women Effective Leaders for Today’s World” Press Release, Northwestern University, August 4, 2003
“Closing the Leadership Gap,” Ms. News, Summer 2004
What questions I will answer:
Time Line:
Proposal
Decide on women to research 11/29/05
Show Kevin journal entries 12/15/05
Goal update w/ Kevin 1/3/06
Done with notes on women 1/10/05
Formal committee update 1/17/06
Draft of paper about women 2/9/06
Edit paper about women 3/7/06
Show Kevin journal entries 3/13/06
Final draft of paper about women 3/15/06
Evaluation of me as a leader by group members 3/16/05-3/24/05
Begin working on presentation 3/16/06
Formal committee check-in about presentation 4/10/06
Present 4/27/06
Reflection 5/2/06
Edit reflection 5/4/06
Finalize 5/5/06
RESOURCES WHEN CREATING YOUR OWN SENIOR PROJECT PROGRAM!
Some great EdVisions schools are worlds ahead of Avalon in sharing the final work of their students. Check out these websites for examples of senior project presentations.
http://aaroneochs.blogspot.com/
Aaron Grimm is an advisor at EdVisions Off Campus High School. On June 17th he posted five of their seniors' presentations. Check it out!
http://www.newcountryschool.com/
Minnesota New Country School has information about their senior project under "About Us" and "Project Learning." Cool stuff from the "Coolest School." (check out resources)...
Research to support the Senior Project: Check out the Indicators of a Successful Senior Project!
The following article was published at the Klingenstein Institute at Columbia University Teachers College. As part of my masters work I researched the elements that make an effective senior project. While the work was geared towards independent schools, obviously, it addresses the needs of all students. Please feel free to email me at norawhalen@gmail.com if you have comments or questions specifically about the research.Ending with an Exclamation Point:
Perceptions of an Effective Senior Year Capstone Project,
A Case Study of Dwight Englewood’s Senior Focus Project
Problem
According to the National Commission on the High School Senior Year (2001), Senioritis is a short-term affliction that incapacitates seniors in terms of their academic growth. While scholarly literature supports the need to dramatically modify the senior year, much of it focuses on the needs of poor-performing schools by suggesting more rigorous programs such as Advanced Placement courses or attendance at neighboring universities. An indiscriminate ailment, senioritis also exists for high-performing, college bound students, a demographic typical of independent schools.
Purpose
The rationale for conducting a case study was to discover and describe curriculum structures that foster and support student academic success in the senior year, helping seniors end with an exclamation point. We looked to the 2003 NAIS Leading Edge Award-Winning Senior Focus Program at the Dwight Englewood School to assess whether theory informs practice. Using a triangulation of methods (literature review, case study archives, and observations and surveys), we assessed the extent to which the nine indicators of a successful senior capstone project were informing practice. We found that these nine indicators: community involvement, mission-centered project, student-initiated topic, research driven and academically rigorous, in-depth planning, interdisciplinary proficiency, guided self-reflection, student input on assessment, and a public presentation or exposition were all present in Dwight Englewood’s Senior Focus Program.
Findings - Indicators of Success
The following table lays out the number of times our indicators of success appeared in our literature review, the Focus Notebook archives and our observations, interviews, and surveys. (Please note that the table did not translate to the wiki. I edited it to just include the indicators. Contact me for the results of the literature review.)
Community Involvement -- student works with an expert outside of the school
Mission-Centered -- fits what the school is all about
Student-Centered -- the student's interests drives the topic. It is not picked by the teacher(s).
Research-Driven/Academic Rigor
In-Depth Planning -- includes year-long benchmarks and goals
Interdisciplinary
Guided Self-Reflection
Student input on Assessment
Public Presentation and Celebration of student's learning
A school must take our indicators of success as ingredients that need to be organically integrated into a system. Rather than be imposed from above as a total package, these ingredients need to percolate up. No school will find success by simply implementing the Dwight Englewood program as it is in totality. Dwight Englewood has experienced success largely because the program grew out of their existing school culture. Their current program notebook, developed over 10 years, has always been thought of as a work in progress. Each year students provide the program’s director with summative feedback that helps inform the future of the program. Ultimately any school looking to affect change must first acknowledge the particularities of their own school culture before attempting such a dramatic change.
This dramatic change, especially when dealing with such a powerful issue as senioritis, has deep implications. According to Edgar Schein, an expert in the field of school change,
Traditional patterns of doing things have become so ingrained that they seem to have a momentum of their own. If the institution has enjoyed a history of success with its assumptions about itself and its environment, people will not want to question or reexamine them, ‘because they justify the past and are the source of their pride and self-esteem’ (in Evans, 1996, p. 46).
In many institutions, senioritis is not considered an affliction or disease but embraced as a right of passage to the next stage in life. While seniors should be acknowledged as they transition into adulthood, an educational institution has a duty to educate them until graduation day. Teachers bemoan the too cool for school attitude of their seniors and wish for something different, but they understand the deep implications for making any significant change. Moreover, for many faculty members senioritis is an affliction they too have experienced on both sides of the desk. Accordingly, faculty may bring somewhat modified expectations into their work with these students. Finally, many schools simply avoid the opportunity for a culminating experience because they are resistant to change.
Future Research
An implication for future research is to answer the question of how schools can develop and nurture cultures where academic risk-taking is celebrated and individual reflection is valued. Whether a school begins in kindergarten, seventh grade, or ninth grade the efforts to acculturate risk-taking and reflection need to begin when students enter the school. Beginning with the end and backwards planning to create a culture and a curriculum across disciplines that supports grade-appropriate fluency in skills is the next logical step in this process for any school. While our work boasts few systemic ready-made answers, it does identify common best practices that have worked when applied to individual programs by artful educators.